ABSTRACT
Before the Union Scotland had her own Ministers as well as her own Parliament. The English Secretaries of State therefore could have no authority in the Northern Kingdom. The abolition of the Scotch secretaryships was probably judicious. If the Union was to be a reality it was inadvisable that there should be a separate Scotch Ministry. Scotland, however, be it said, still kept her own Great Seal and her own signet. The Scotch Secretary again would be the channel through which all Scotch business must pass before it could reach the sovereign; this would make the Secretary as it were the ruler of Scotland. The Secretary for the Southern Department was the proper person to ascertain the King’s pleasure and communicate it to his servants in Ireland. He procured the royal sign manual for warrants relating to Ireland. During Anne’s reign the Secretary for the Northern Department had little to do with the Colonies.
